Coming out of my BSW, I knew I wanted to push further into the macro/policy realm of social work. My undergraduate practicum is what solidified this passion for macro. I was a case manager at a cancer treatment center, and though I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with clients, I became extremely frustrated with the limited resources I could offer. The systems in place were just going to keep these people in poverty and at risk for horrible health outcomes, no matter how many food pantries I sent them to or grants I applied them for. I began to see so many holes in our healthcare system that people (disproportionately older people of color) were constantly slipping through. There was no doubt that macro was what I wanted to specialize in.
I wanted to push myself further than just a macro-track MSW. After graduate school graduation, I wanted to ensure my place in spaces where social workers are sparse. I wanted to be in rooms where policies were being made and systems developed. Those are the spaces that need social workers the most. All too often social workers are left to clean up the messes policy makers have made and fill the gaps of public programming. I want to attack these issues from the source. I decided getting a masters of public policy along with my MSW would do just that. This additional degree would make me competitive when applying for lobbying and policy analyst jobs. I believe that is where I can make the most impact.
I knew that public policy classes would be different from social work classes, but I completely underestimated the dichotomy of the coursework, teaching styles, and kinds of people in them. For starters, there is a significant amount of math and economics in the MPP program. It had been a long time since I had taken a strictly quantitative course and getting into that mindset took a few months. It was hard feeling like I was competing with peers that were naturally math-minded. Many of them had careers in analytics or had policy degrees already. I learned quickly that playing the comparison game would get me nowhere. I was accepted into this program just like every other person in those classes. I was qualified to be there just as much as they were. It was not some mess-up that I was offered a seat in the program.
I am one of two people in my cohort that are pursuing this particular dual degree and we consistently add perspectives to the room that weren’t there before. I have noticed the public policy field is geared toward protecting the systems as they currently stand, something that I am actively fighting against. It was really frustrating to hear my classmates discuss prioritizing efficiency over equity in policies or protecting large businesses that I know harm millions of people everyday. It took a lot of reflection to find grace for some of my classmates. But, just like how they have more experience with statistics than I do, I have more experience thinking of marginalized populations than they do and it all takes practice. It is important to remember that people in every room have something to learn from you just as much as you have to learn from them. That goes for professors as well.
Ultimately, more social workers need to be brave and enter spaces we have been told we don’t belong. We have perspectives that no one in those rooms do. We are valuable. I disagree that social workers should need this additional degree to be welcomed into spaces where policy is being discussed, though. Our education is already incredibly pertinent and valuable to the conversations being had in the legislature. The sad truth is that often we do need these degrees to be taken seriously. I am going to use my privilege as a MSW MPP to help bring social workers into conversations and tear down this invisible academia barrier.
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